The Geography Department
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The Geography Department |
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North Norfolk February 17 2008
Bacton and Overstrand
Bacton
Bacton (Gas Terminal)
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Walcott beach looking northwards to Bacton gas terminal. The November surge came through at Walcott, flooding properties behind the coast road. 1024-DSC03995.JPG
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From the car park at the northern end of Bacton there is access to the beach via a ramp and there is soon evidence of coastal protection structures, in groynes and revetments, and erosion. A flight of steps to the beach, from the caravan park above, have been attacked and the cliff removed. |
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More evidence of erosion, in this case slumping, lies in the twisted sheet piling immediately to the south of the gas terminal. |
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Recent beach aggrading, behind the revetments, has been removed by a digger and used to reinforce the base of the cliffs in front of the gas terminal. The beach now has a profile of created by recent scouring of its lower levels, high sand levels around the revetments, and lower levels behind when the sand has been removed. |
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Longshore drift and role of groynes is also nicely demonstrated! |
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At the top of a short service road leading to the gas terminal, the beach, and its recent depletion can be seen clearly. I see this harvesting of the incoming each material as a form of harvesting, to protect an installation of national strategic importance. The site not only facilitates the receiving of North Sea gasfields, but is now the hoe of the interconnector pipeline to and from Europe. |
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Just patterns in the sand, and a double-dose of revetments! |
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Overstrand
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The major erosion episode at Overstrand, (GR 252405 parking on road) when the road and footpaths were cut, was followed by a massive cliff stabilisation programme, with graded and drained slopes, and rock toe armour behind the beach revetments and groynes. Some erosion of the toe is evident here. |
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Cliff mass-movement here involves slumping of glacial materials, including chalk blocks! The undercliff concrete defence works are regularly swept by mobile flows. |
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In the still-frozen mid-afternoon, ice covers the lake that has built up behind the concrete promenade wall. Centre shows the gabions have needed reinforcement from wooden piling, and on the right is the result of no slope management - a mobile flow that has closed the entire promenade! |
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Here the gabions have been overwhelmed by mobile flows over the top cage of the defences. |
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The cliffs and beach still show frost. In February the early sun lacks strength, and soon the cliffs screen out its rays. This regime will have an influence on the weathering of the cliffs and the nature of the flows. |
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The cliff-top paths has been cut, but not completely severed! This embayment is sliding down the cliff, and will soon threaten housing. |
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